1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to a system and method of correcting a light pathway, and more particularly, to a system and method of correcting a light pathway which can correct a light pathway change generated due to shaking of a camera by driving a curved prism composed of a refraction surface.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a camera module mounted in a portable device such as a digital camera and a cellular phone has been gradually minimized and thinned due to consumers' desires. Also, a camera module having a high-power zoom lens has appeared. Since the high-power zoom lens is introduced, a problem of compensating for hand trembling within a telescopic range has recently become a big issue.
A curve-type zoom lens may be applied to a zoom lens for a slim-type camera and a cellular phone. When a series-type zoom lens is applied, a length of a barrel increases. Accordingly, it is difficult to slim a camera and the like.
The curve-type zoom lens expresses an image by enabling incident light to reach an image sensor using a total reflection effect of a curved prism included within a lens barrel. When a zoom magnification is increased, the curve-type zoom lens reaches the telescopic range. The curve-type zoom lens having reached the telescopic range can react to minute shaking more easily than a wide angle area. Specifically, the image expressed by the curve-type zoom lens may be blurry due to the minute shaking.
A general cause of shaking of the camera is hand trembling. Accordingly, when a light pathway difference of incident light emitted from an object for photography is generated, the image expressed using the image sensor can be blurry. Various conventional methods of correcting hand trembling exist in order to solve a blur phenomenon of the image due to hand trembling.
For example, there are an Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS), an Electrical Image Stabilizer (EIS), a Digital Image Stabilizer (DIS), and the like, as methods of correcting hand trembling. The OIS can be the most effective method of correcting hand trembling. Generally, when the OIS is used, it is known that the OIS can eliminate 80% to 95% of hand trembling.
The OIS of correcting hand trembling is specifically classified into an active prism method, a lens shift method, a sensor movement method, and the like. However, since the OIS has a problem that a thickness and a length of the barrel of the zoom lens increase, the OIS cannot be applied to the slim-type device.
Specifically, due to adding an active prism of the active prism method, the thickness of the lens barrel increases. Also, the lens shift method has a problem that an internal structure of the lens barrel becomes complex due to additionally needing a component for moving the lens. Also, the sensor movement method has a problem that the thickness of the lens barrel increases due to adding a necessary component for moving the image sensor.
Accordingly, a technology of correcting shaking of the camera due to hand trembling and the like without an additional optical component in order to be easily applied to the slim-type device is needed.